Hard to believe in the Orlando Magic

The Bible defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things unseen.

So when Jameer Nelson told me he believed the Orlando Magic have the right pieces to win an NBA championship Monday, I assumed he was speaking on faith, not facts.

The evidence of the Magic's pieces during a 103-93 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday proved the Magic are consistently inconsistent in the regular season and now in the NBA playoffs.

Make that Moses-sized faith.

Nelson and Dwight Howard were brilliant Saturday. Their teammates? Not so much, unless you consider Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardon combined for 10 points and five rebounds a contribution.

Interesting enough, this is the same team that almost knocked off the Chicago Bulls last week without Dwight Howard. Had Nelson's 3-point attempt left his hands before time expired, the Magic would have taken the Bulls to overtime.

But this is also the same team that had 18 turnovers in a loss where Howard played the game of his career with 46 points and 19 rebounds.

Their ceiling for success is high enough to pick off the No. 1 seed or land in the Eastern Conference finals again. But it's also low enough to get bounced in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks.

They're considered an underdog, but their recent playoff history qualifies them among the elite.

They're up. They're down.

Just who is this Orlando Magic team already?

I'll tell you who. They're becoming the Eastern Conference version of the Dallas Mavericks — a good team on the verge of missing greatness.

As a former Dallas resident, I can tell you the Magic playoff path is starting to look eerily similar, even though the Mavs had a 10-year head start on the Magic and Dirk Nowitzki doesn't have half of Howard's defensive game.

Both play consistently good enough to make it to the postseason. The Mavericks made 17 playoff appearances in 31 seasons. The Magic have 13 appearances in 22 seasons.

Both have gone to the NBA Finals before, which raises the expectation level of success from fans and media.

Once a team has won a conference championship, it's impossible to be satisfied with anything less than a title because you know it's within reach.

Both conferences are becoming equally competitive. The Eastern Conference attracted more attention thanks to Carmelo Anthony's big trade to the Knicks and the Amar'e Stoudemire and LeBron James moves.

But the Oklahoma City Thunder are a rising young threat to the more established Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. Portland isn't creating the easiest path for Dallas, either.

Increased competition coupled with inconsistent play make the Orlando Magic a prime candidate for permanent bridesmaid status.

"You get disappointed, I don't think it's frustration," said Orlando Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing. "You get close but no cigar. But all you can do is keep on working and don't let frustration stop you from achieving your goals."

Dwight Howard said earlier this month the Magic needed the city to believe in them.

Faith doesn't require evidence, but it doesn't survive without work and 18 turnovers.